The most important part of your Thanksgiving meal is the bird. It's the centerpiece of every Turkey-day related piece of pop culture from Norman Rockwell illustrations to Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. But just because it's traditional, doesn't mean the way you prepare it has to be.

Here are seven totally techie ways to get your delicious turkey cooked up for the big feast.

Short on time and worried about your waistline? Char-Broil's system will have your bird table-ready in about two hours. And it doesn't use any oil, so it's better for you. More room for pie is never a bad thing. $99

: Here's a recipe for a bourbon whiskey turkey. What about that sounds bad to you? Nothing. The answer is nothing. But it gets better. Use a flavor injector and shoot up your bird with all that liquory goodness.

: Not a joke! You can actually cook a Thanksgiving turkey in your microwave. Just don't try this in your college dorm room. Most microwaves can only handle a bird as big as 14 pounds, and you need to leave about three inches of space around the perimeter of the carcass. Cover it in a dish and cook 9-10 minutes per pound at medium power. See? You don't even need fancy appliances.

: You might already have a pressure cooker in your kitchen. And a lot of savvy cooks out there say pressure-cooking your turkey is a safer alternative to a deep fryer—which could, of course, burn your hands off. And you need those to eat turkey, by the way. A 10-12 pound bird should only take about 40 minutes in the pressure cooker. Nervous? This is a pretty helpful how-to. $170

: You're watching football, you're baking pies, you're entertaining your weird cousin Dena and her new boyfriend. What if you forget about the turkey and (gasp!) overcook it? That won't happen with CDN's wireless probe thermometer. It has a 100-foot range, and will let you know when the bird is within 10 degrees of the ideal temperature. $29

: Perhaps this is a method you haven't even thought of. If you have a big crowd coming and limited oven space—I mean, everyone has limited kitchen real estate on Thanksgiving—you might consider buying one of these tabletop roasters. They give you a really moist bird, and don't cost and arm and a leg. $40-$75

: Turkey + duck + chicken—a true Thanksgiving innovation combining a triple order or poultry science technology. You could do this yourself if you have about a day to spare and access to the trifecta of Thanksgiving fowl. But you can also order one of these frankenbirds from a shop in Louisiana for as little as $55 and have it in time for the 22nd. $55-$130